Newport Beach withdraws request to ban bonfires

NEWPORT BEACH - With the state Coastal Commission poised to deny Newport Beach's effort to remove 60 fire rings in Corona del Mar and the Balboa Peninsula, the city manager has withdrawn its application, it was reported Wednesday.

The regional air quality board, however, could approve a measure July 12 that would enable the city to throw a wet blanket on beach bonfires.

City Manager Dave Kiff told the Orange County Register he wanted to know how the board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District votes July 12 when it is scheduled to consider the elimination of fire pits in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The city, Kiff said, could amend its Coastal Development Permit to allow some gas-fueled fire pits.

The AQMD, which for the first time imposed restrictions on fireplace fires this past winter, issued a report in June that said particulate pollution was high in Corona del Mar and Huntington Beach, which has signaled its intent to preserve fire pits on its beach.

Agency staffers also recommended removing fire rings within 700 feet of homes -- a recommendation that means all of Newport Beach's fire pits.